


With Grace in Our Hearts

by enigmaticblue



Series: What's Behind and What's Before [3]
Category: The Sentinel (TV)
Genre: Case Fic, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:35:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26954452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enigmaticblue/pseuds/enigmaticblue
Summary: Being top cop means that Jim tends to pull the toughest cases.
Relationships: Jim Ellison/Blair Sandburg
Series: What's Behind and What's Before [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/188801
Comments: 6
Kudos: 36
Collections: Hurt/Comfort Bingo - Round 11





	With Grace in Our Hearts

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the hc_bingo prompt "abuse." There is referenced child abuse, domestic violence, and suicidal ideation of a minor, all as part of a case, but nothing too graphic.

“Ellison!”

Jim exchanges a look with Blair, who shrugs. Simon’s bellow is familiar and could mean just about anything. They just wrapped up a tough case involving a heroin smuggling ring, and submitted their reports, so it could be anything from a problem with their reports, something to do with another case they’re currently working, or something new.

“Bring Sandburg with you,” Simon adds.

Case-related, then, Jim thinks and jerks his head at Blair. He doesn’t think that anyone at the station, including Simon, knows that there’s another dimension to their partnership, and they’ve worked hard to keep it that way.

“Sit,” Simon orders gruffly, and Jim glances at Blair again, watching his eyes sharpen.

Jim doesn’t think they’ve done anything to warrant Simon’s irritation, which means there’s another reason for it.

“I have a case of a sensitive nature,” Simon says. “The mayor wants the best on it, and that’s the two of you.”

Jim mentally translates that into “political mess,” and understands why Simon is more irritated than usual. “What happened, Simon?”

“City Councilman Rivers’ wife was found critically injured in his home, and his teenage son is missing,” Simon explains. “His daughter was staying with a friend, and Councilman Rivers claims he was at a fundraiser.”

Blair frowns. “If he was at a fundraiser, that seems like a pretty solid alibi.”

“There’s a timing issue,” Simon admits. “The mayor was at the same fundraiser, and he said that nearly everyone had cleared out by 10, and he doesn’t remember seeing the councilman there after 9. The councilman claims he arrived home at 10:30 and found her.”

Jim doesn’t have a good feeling about this. “So, we have a shaky alibi from a city councilman with a lot of power, a critically injured woman, and a missing kid.”

“Rivers has already thrown his son under the bus,” Simon adds. “Said his kid is difficult and they’d been discussing whether to send him to military school.”

“With the insinuation that the son attacked his mom, and then ran away,” Blair says sourly.

Simon nods. “That’s about the sum of it.”

“We’ll start with the councilman,” Jim decides. “I should be able to tell whether he’s lying. Do you know how old the daughter is?”

“She’s sixteen,” Simon replies. “Jenny. The son is fourteen, Jason.”

Blair remembers from his training that the police can speak to a child as young as thirteen without contacting their parent, although the councilman is likely to raise hell if they try. “Do you think he’s going to let us talk to his daughter without him present?”

Simon snorts. “Fat chance. Not unless you can come up with a good reason.”

Jim knows that’s going to be tough. If Jenny Rivers was out of the house when her mom was attacked, she isn’t an eyewitness. “She might know where her brother would go, and would be a little more willing to tell us without her father present,” Jim point out. “If we can convince the councilman that we’re on his side, he’s more likely to cooperate.”

Simon raises his eyebrows. “Is your acting really that good?”

Jim shrugs. “I think you’d be surprised, Captain.”

“All right, go on, get out of here,” Simon says. “Councilman Rivers is at the hospital, and I’m sure he’s expecting you.”

As they leave Simon’s office, Blair asks in an undertone, “What’s your take?”

Jim shakes his head. “I don’t have one yet, but I think it’s somewhat suspicious that he was so willing to throw his kid under the bus, since that’s going to be a scandal, no matter which way you cut it.”

“So, we’ll have to mind our p’s and q’s,” Blair comments.

“That goes without saying,” Jim agrees. “One wrong move, and we could easily wind up with our asses in a sling.”

Blair sighs audibly. “There’s usually a price for competence.”

~~~~~

Blair really hates cases where there’s even a hint of abuse. Not only does he have his own past with it, but abuse cases are _hard_. The victims aren’t always willing to talk, or even if they are, they might not be willing to press charges, or to testify if they do press charges. He and Jim haven’t dealt with a lot of cases like that—if it gets to them, someone is usually dead, and it becomes a moot point—but it always takes a toll.

Blair allows Jim to take the lead at the hospital. Jim seems to have an idea about how to approach the situation, and Blair has no clue. He understands that it’s a situation that will be tricky to navigate.

Jim can be a bit of a bull in a china shop, but he’s curbed that a bit over the last few years.

He actually stops by the loft on the way to the hospital. “Let’s get spruced up, Chief. I know this sort, and we’ll get more respect if we look the part.”

Blair frowns. “What part?”

“TV detectives,” Jim replies wryly. “I actually knew his sister back in the day, so I’m familiar with the family.”

“What can we expect?” Blair asks.

Jim shrugs. “Not sure. I liked his sister well enough. They seemed okay for blue bloods.”

“Jim, _you’re_ a blue blood,” Blair feels a need to point out.

Jim flashes a grin. “Yeah, so I should know.”

Jim doesn’t go so far as to put on a suit, but he does put on a dress shirt and slacks and a tie, although he leaves it somewhat loose with the top button undone.To Blair, Jim looks every inch the busy, slightly-rumpled detective. He emulates the look, loosening his tie slightly as well.

“Looking good, Sandburg,” Jim says. “You okay following my lead?”

Blair nods. “Yeah, of course. Always, man.”

Jim smiles. “Good, let’s get going.”

They get to the hospital, and Jim pastes on a charming smile for the nurse at the reception desk as he flashes his badge. “We’re here to check on Mrs. Rivers. Detectives Ellison and Sandburg.”

“Third floor, ICU, room 315,” the nurse replies after a few keystrokes.

“Thank you,” Jim replies, and the nurse smiles back.

Blair figures it’s a good thing that neither of them tend to be jealous, since if their mark doesn’t respond to Jim, they usually do to Blair.

Unless, of course, they don’t swing that way at all.

They head up to the third floor ICU and easily find the room where Mrs. Rivers is. Councilman Rivers is sitting next to her bed, the very picture of a worried husband, clutching her hand and speaking in low tones.

Jim clears his throat, managing to sound deferential. “Councilman? Detectives Ellison and Sandburg. We’re here to help find out what happened to Mrs. Rivers.”

Jim’s tone is gentle and kind, like there’s no suspicion of the councilman at all.

Councilman Rivers says, “Mayor Johnson said you’d be coming. Thank you.”

“Of course, sir,” Jim replies, still in that same deferential tone. “Anything we can do to bring the perpetrator to justice.”

That statement is a double-edged sword, but if the councilman notices, he doesn’t show it. “Whatever I can do.”

“It would be helpful if we could speak to you and your daughter,” Jim replies. “With your permission, of course, but Jenny might be more willing to speak frankly about her brother if we speak to her alone.”

Rivers hesitates. “I think that would be fine. She said she planned on coming to the hospital right after school.”

Jim nods. “I understand. We wouldn’t want to disrupt her day any more than it already has been. Would you mind giving us your statement now?”

Blair is a little surprised at just how deferential Jim is being, but he suspects that Jim is comfortable enough with his senses to trust that he’ll know if the councilman is lying. But Jim isn’t going to be able to tell even that much if the man clams up.

Rivers hesitates, glancing at his unconscious wife. She’s intubated, one side of her face is incredibly swollen, and there’s a large bandage on her head. The heart monitor beeps a steady rhythm at least, and her vitals are otherwise strong from what Blair can see.

“They’re not sure if she’s going to wake up,” Rivers says, a catch in his voice. “Or that she’ll be the same person she was if she does.”

“I’m very sorry,” Jim says gently. “Detective Sandburg can sit with her if you’d rather not leave her alone.”

Rivers shakes his head. “No, I’d prefer just to get this over with so you can find who did this to my wife.”

The councilman is wearing a rumpled black suit and conservative red tie, and he leads the way out into the hallway. He’s a short, round man, his salt and pepper hair thinning on top. He appears disheveled, and Blair suspects that he hasn’t had much sleep.

“Can you tell us what happened?” Jim asks.

“I was at a fundraiser last night, but Maria wasn’t feeling well, and so decided to stay at home with our son, Jason,” Rivers says wearily. “I left the fundraiser around 9 or 9:30, but I realized I’d left some important papers back at my office. I stayed and reviewed some correspondence, and I think I left my office around 10. When I arrived home, the front door was unlocked, and my wife was in the living room. Her face was bruised, and her head was bleeding. I immediately called an ambulance and looked around for my son, but I couldn’t find him.”

Jim allows the councilman to get the story out before he asks his next question. “Is that typical for your son? Does he sneak out often?”

Rivers shakes his head. “I don’t know. We’ve been having more trouble with him recently. He’s been more defiant, skipping school, I don’t know. Maria said she couldn’t control him.”

Blair thinks that’s an odd thing to say about your teenage son.

“Is it possible that he’s run away?” Jim asks.

Rivers scrubs his hands over his face. “It’s possible. He might have snuck out before my wife was attacked, or… I don’t want to think about it.”

“Let’s just see where the evidence takes us,” Jim suggests. “My partner and I will go take a look at the scene, and we’ll be back this afternoon to talk to your daughter.”

Rivers nods. “Thank you both. I understand that you’ll probably have some tough questions, but I’ll do my best to answer.”

As they leave the hospital, Blair glances at Jim. “What the hell?”

Jim shakes his head. “Let’s wait until we’re in the truck.”

“That didn’t go at all like I expected,” Blair comments as soon as they’re both in the truck with the doors closed.

“He wasn’t lying, I can tell you that much,” Jim says. “But there’s something else going on in that house.”

Blair grimaces. “No kidding. Why would you need to _control_ your teenage son?”

“You caught that, too?” Jim asks. “My suspicion is that the councilman isn’t home enough to really know what’s going on.”

That jives with what Blair’s instincts are telling him, too. “Yeah, fundraiser, back to the office, doesn’t get home until 10:30? Hard to know what’s really going on at home if you’re never there.”

“Well, let’s see what forensics found at the house,” Jim says. “If we can’t find any answers there, I think we’re more likely to get them from the daughter.”

“What about the son?” Blair asks.

“There’s a BOLO out for him,” Jim replies as they pull up in front of the Rivers’ large house. It’s not quite a mansion, but it’s not far from it either. It’s all red brick with white trim, with a turret out front that Blair finds somewhat pretentious.

But the crime scene tape strung along the perimeter mars the image that the Rivers are trying to project, and there’s a notice posted on the front door that indicates the scene hasn’t yet been released That will be up to them once they’re done.

Blair sticks close to Jim as he reviews the crime scene. Blair can see where they’ve dusted for prints, the smudges that the powder has left on the furniture, the doors, the walls—anywhere they might be able to pull one.

It’s going to be a bitch to clean, but it won’t just be the fingerprint powder, but also the pool of blood that stains the carpet in the front parlor. The stain is large enough to demonstrate the seriousness of the head injury, even if they hadn’t just seen her in the hospital.

Jim crouches down next to the stain and runs a finger along the edge of a glass table. “This is where she hit her head.”

“She was pushed?” Blair asks.

“I think it was a little more than that,” Jim replies grimly. “With those bruises on her face, she was beaten first.”

“You think someone broke in?” Blair asks.

Jim shakes his head. “Rivers said the door was unlocked when he got home. Let’s go upstairs.”

At a crime scene like this one, where Jim’s using his senses at a high level, Blair’s job is to keep him on an even keel, and interrupt any spikes or zones. Upstairs, though, when they find the bedroom belonging to Jason, they switch off.

Jim’s instincts as a cop are formidable, but Blair’s training in anthropology helps him read a scene in a different way.

“Take it away, Chief,” Jim says, ceding to his authority.

Blair had been a teenaged boy once, and he starts looking in all the usual places. The computer is unsecured, but there doesn’t seem to be much on it. Blair opens a few folders and checks the web browser history and the cache, but there’s nothing there.

“This kid cleared his browser history, Jim,” Blair says. “Which means he’s definitely hiding something.”

Jim frowns, lifting up the mattress on the twin-size bed. “There’s no porn stashed under here. Makes you wonder who he’s hiding it from.”

“Is that where you stashed yours?” Blair asks, amused.

“Sometimes,” Jim says. “Depends on what kind of porn I was hiding. The gay porn I was a lot more careful about.”

Blair smirks and flips open a spiral-bound notebook. “Here’s something. Looks like Jason is an aspiring poet and artist.”

He knows there’s a lot of information that can be mined here, although in Blair’s experience, teenagers can be a bit dramatic. The drawings are a mixture of pen and pencil, and are suggestive of a fascination with death. There are a lot of weapons, including guns, knives dripping blood, and nooses.

Jim is peering over Blair’s shoulder, and he comments, “Dark stuff.”

“Maybe, maybe not,” Blair counters. “There are plenty of kids his age with a fascination with this sort of thing.”

He flips the page and finds a poem, featuring themes of death, darkness, and self-loathing. “'I’m so weak, I wish I was strong enough to just end it all,’” Blair reads out loud. “Okay, maybe a little darker than is typical. He might be suicidal, Jim.”

“Especially if something happened here between him and his mom,” Jim points out. “A kid already on the brink might feel like he doesn’t have another option, which makes it even more imperative that we find him quickly.”

Blair blows out a breath. “Well, let’s keep looking.”

There’s nothing in else in his bedroom that gives them any idea as to where Jason might have fled. “Let’s hope that his sister can give us some direction,” Jim says grimly.

Blair hopes so as well, because he would hate for the Rivers family to have yet another tragedy on their hands.

~~~~~

Jim has had a bad feeling about this case from the beginning, and that feeling only increased after searching Jason’s room. Jim didn’t have any way of knowing whether there were unfamiliar scents in the home, since he had yet to meet either Jason or his sister.

As far as he can tell, though, there had been no forced entry, and the disappearance of the boy suggests that he had been involved in some way.

Although Jim really hates the thought of a teenage boy hurting his own mom in such a way.

They grab something to eat before heading back to the hospital, to give them some time because Jenny won’t be there yet.

“What are you thinking, Jim?” Blair asks, taking a bite out of his club sandwich.

Jim shakes his head. “I don’t know. We don’t have any evidence of his involvement in the attack on Mrs. Rivers, but I can’t help but think there’s more going on under the surface that we don’t know about.”

“I’m sure it _can_ happen, but generally kids don’t get that despondent or that angry without there being some underlying cause,” Blair agrees. “Maybe it’s school, maybe it’s home, but it’s something.”

But, since there hadn’t been any obvious answers at home, Jim just hopes that the daughter will give them something, if only to help her brother.

When they head back to Mrs. Rivers’ hospital room, the councilman is hugging a teenage girl, and Jim assumes it’s his daughter. He knocks gently on the doorframe. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but we have some concerns about your son’s state of mind, and we think it’s imperative that we find him as soon as possible.”

Rivers keeps an arm around his daughter’s shoulders, and Jim doesn’t miss how she leans into him, clearly seeking comfort. “I’m not sure I’m comfortable with you speaking to her without myself or our attorney present.”

“Of course, that’s up to you,” Jim replies, noting the change from earlier, but keeping his tone conciliatory. “But some of Jason’s writings and drawing indicate that he might be thinking about taking his own life. Anything that your daughter could tell us about where he might go would be helpful.”

“I want to talk to them, Daddy,” she says in a soft voice. “It’s okay. They’re only trying to help.”

She’s pretty and fresh-faced, her long, dark hair neatly parted in the middle and loose around her shoulders. She’s wearing a school uniform, and Jim recognizes it as one from a top private school in Cascade, as well known for its rigorous academics as its exclusivity. She meets Jim’s gaze with a forthright air, a determined tilt to her chin that indicated she _would_ be speaking to them whether her father liked it or not.

“If you’re sure,” Rivers says uncertainly, and Jim can suddenly see the shape of things. Jenny has her dad wrapped around her little finger.

“I’m sure,” Jenny says firmly, her young voice light but certain.

“Let’s go find a quiet spot,” Jim suggests. “I think the chapel might be empty. It was when we passed.”

Jenny nods. “That sounds good.”

The chapel is empty when they enter, and Jim says, “I’m Detective Ellison, and this is my partner, Detective Sandburg. Call me Jim if you like.”

“Blair,” his partner adds.

Jenny sits up straight, her hands on her knees. “I need you to find my brother.”

“That’s what we want to do,” Jim says gently. “But I have to say, we couldn’t find anything in your brother’s room that would tell us where he might be.”

Jenny shakes her head, her lips pressed in a tight line. “I can give you a list of his friends, and places he likes to go. There’s an arcade. But—you need to know something. I don’t want you to think that he’s dangerous or anything.”

“Anything you can tell us will help,” Blair says gently.

Jenny takes a deep breath. “Mom won’t touch me. I’m Dad’s favorite. But Jason is a different story. He struggles in school. He has a learning disability, but they won’t get him tested because they’re afraid of a diagnosis. It might look bad for Dad.”

Blair glances at Jim, clearly alarmed. “What would look bad?”

“Having a disabled kid,” Jenny says. “I get top grades at a prestigious prep school. To be honest, I spend as much time away from the house as I can to get away from it all.”

“Is there a reason you think your brother acted in self defense?” Jim asks, going straight to the heart of the matter.

Jenny closes her eyes. “Mom was mad at him. She—she slapped him a few times. And that was just what happened in front of me. Like I said, I spend a lot of time away from the house.”

Jim realizes what’s been eluding him all this time, the reason that a kid might break and hurt his mother badly enough to put her into a coma. “Do you think he would have done anything like this if not provoked?”

She shakes her head, tears brightening her eyes. “No. He’s—he’s a good kid, really sweet, you know? He’ll still give me a kiss and a hug.”

Blair clears his throat. “If he was going to hurt himself, where do you think he’d go?”

Jenny shakes her head. “I don’t know, but maybe—a high point? He’s—it’s either that or pills.”

Jim understands what she means. He’s not a violent kid, which means he won’t use a gun, and he’s not at home, which means hanging himself is a more difficult proposition. “Tell us about his friends, and where he likes to go.”

Jenny gives them a list of friends and locations, and Jim isn’t feeling great about any of it. He’s more certain than ever that the biggest risk is that Jason will kill himself.

“Just—please bring him home,” Jenny pleads, her voice breaking. “I don’t want anything bad to happen to him.”

“We’ll do our best,” Jim says gently. “How much of this does your dad know?”

Jenny shakes her head. “Not much. Mom always said it was Jason acting out.”

Jim winces, and Blair sighs. No matter how this turns out, it’s going to be a political nightmare for Rivers.

And Jim’s senses won’t do him any favors here. It’s just going to take solid detective work to find the kid and bring him in before he hurts himself or someone else.

~~~~~

From the hospital, they start pounding the pavement, running down the list of Jason’s friends and locations that Jenny thought be might go. None of his friends have seen him, unfortunately, and he hasn’t been seen at the arcade, where he likes to go. By the time they visit the school, it’s locked up tight, and it’s clear Jason isn’t there.

Blair scrubs his hands over his face. It’s been a long day, and neither of them are willing to quit before they find Jason Rivers.

“Shit, man, where the hell is this kid?” Blair asks.

They’re sitting at their desks in the bullpen, having called anyone who might have a reason to know where Jason Rivers is. At this point, Blair is running out of ideas.

Jim rubs his eyes. “No idea. He’s a scared kid, but he’s not going anywhere that I would expect a scared kid to go.”

“Are we overthinking this?” Blair wonders. “We know he’s scared, and maybe has a plan to hurt himself. What’s he going to do?”

Jim straightens. “He’s going to say goodbye.”

Blair frowns. “You think he’s at the hospital?”

“I think it’s the one place we haven’t looked yet,” Jim replies. “And he might just want to see his mom one more time.”

“The hospital is at least six stories,” Blair points out.

“Let’s go, Chief,” Jim says with renewed energy. “I’ve been in his bedroom, so I should be able to pick up on whether he’s been there or not.”

It’s after eight, and traffic is light, so they make good time across town. By now, Jason Rivers has been in the wind for nearly 24 hours, and Blair figures he has to be tired and hungry. If he’s not at the hospital, he and Jim will be out of options.

Visiting hours at the hospital are long since over when they arrive, and the councilman and his daughter have apparently gone home. There’s an officer stationed outside of Mrs. Rivers’ room, and they check in with him.

“Any sign of the Rivers’ boy, Officer Jansen?” Jim asks.

Jansen shakes his head. “No, sir. Councilman Rivers and his daughter left when visiting hours were over.”

“And Mrs. Rivers’ condition?” Blair asks. “Any change there?”

“No, she’s still considered critical but stable,” Jansen replies. “I overheard the doctor telling Councilman Rivers that it’s just a matter of waiting and seeing whether she wakes up, and if she does, how bad the damage is.”

“Thanks,” Jim says. “Keep an eye out for the Rivers’ son, will you? We haven’t been able to locate him yet, but we think he might show up here.”

Jansen nods. “Will do, Detective.”

“Let’s grab a cup of coffee,” Jim says in a low tone. “I don’t think he’s been here yet, but I could be wrong.”

There’s a vending machine that provides coffee, tea, and cocoa down the hall from Mrs. Rivers’ room, and they feed coins it coins in exchange for a couple of weak cups.

“It’s getting pretty late, man,” Blair replies. “You still think he’ll still show up here?”

Jim shrugs. “I think it’s our best chance of finding him at this point.”

Blair is willing to go along with the plan. They don’t really have a better lead at the moment. “You want to maybe wander the halls a bit?”

“Yeah, let’s do that,” Jim replies.

They move down the halls of the ICU ward, and Jim’s head comes up near the stairwell. “He’s been here.”

Blair glances down the hall and can just barely see Jansen standing guard. “He probably saw the officer and thought better of continuing.”

“Come on, let’s see if we can find him if he’s still here,” Jim says. “I think he went up.”

That jives with their theory of what he’s planning to do, and Blair throws away his half-full cup and follows Jim up the stairs.

There’s no roof access on this stairwell, but Jim has the scent now, and he leads Blair out onto the sixth floor and down another hallway. A nurse tries to stop them, but they both flash badges, and Blair says, “We’re looking for a teenage boy.”

“There was one here an hour or two ago,” she says in surprise. “He said he was visiting his mom.”

“That was probably true,” Jim says. “Which stairwell grants roof access?”

She frowns. “Just down the hall, but you need an access card.”

“Can you let us onto the roof?” Jim asks. “Maybe he wasn’t able to get up there, but we need to check.”

The nurse nods. “I can let you up there. I really don’t think he would be able to access the roof, though.”

“Better safe than sorry,” Blair replies.

The nurse leads the way up the stairs, and Jim catches Blair’s eye with a nod. So, Jason Rivers had at least found his way to this stairwell.

The nurse swipes her access card, and Jim waves her back, drawing his weapon. “Please wait here,” Jim says.

“You’ll need an access card to get back out,” she protests.

“Keep the door cracked for us,” Blair replies, pulling his own weapon.

Jim’s nose hasn’t led them wrong, because Jason Rivers is on the roof, standing near the edge.

Blair glances behind him at the nurse. “I need you to call 911 and tell them that we have a possible jumper, and where we are.”

She silently holds out her access pass, and Blair uses his free hand to pocket it as Jim approached the kid.

“Jason?” he calls. “I need you to step away from the edge for me.”

“No!” The kid glances over his shoulder and takes a step closer to the edge of the roof. “Stay back!”

Jim motions to Blair, and he holsters his weapon. “Jason,” Blair says. “My name is Blair, and I’m a detective with the Cascade PD. We don’t want you to get hurt, or to hurt yourself.”

“What does it matter?” Jason asks, his voice shaking with tears. “My life is over already.”

“You’re only fourteen,” Blair says keeping his voice gentle and his open hands in front of him non-threateningly. “And your sister is really worried about you. She asked us to bring you home.”

“I can’t go home!” Jason shouts, edging a little closer to the edge. “You saw what I did to my mom!”

Blair knows that an attorney will probably be able to get his confession suppressed, but that’s not their problem right now. Their problem is saving Jason’s life.

“Jenny told us that you wouldn’t have hurt her unless she provoked you, and that she’s slapped you before,” Blair replies. “If she hurt you, then you can make the case for self-defense.”

Jason turns, and Blair can see his full face for the first time. The right side of his face is bruised, although he can’t tell how badly in the darkness. Jim murmurs, “I can see the handprint on his face.”

Blair winces. “Will you tell us what happened, Jason?” he asks. “I can promise that we’ll listen to your side of the story.”

“Why?” Jason demands. “No one else ever has.”

“Your sister did,” Blair says. “The only thing she asked of us was that we make sure you were safe. She’s really worried about you.”

Jason shakes his head. “Bullshit. She’s never around anymore. She doesn’t want to deal with the drama.”

“That doesn’t mean she wants anything bad to happen to you,” Blair argues. He shifts to keep Jason’s eyes on him. He can see Jim shift around, trying to get into a position to pull Jason away from the ledge if necessary. “Look, man, I get feeling like your life is over. I’ve been there.”

Jason snorts. “Yeah, right.”

“A couple of years ago, I blew up my entire life,” Blair replies, glad that Jason is now focused on him, and isn’t watching Jim. “I was trying to get my Ph.D., something I started working towards when I was younger than you. And then I got careless, and I had to tell everybody that I was a fraud. It nearly cost me my best friend, too. I lost everything in a flash.”

Jason seems drawn in, almost in spite of himself. “What did you do?”

“I thought about ending things,” Blair admits. “I thought about running away, changing my name, hoping that everything would blow over if I did. But if I’d done that, I wouldn’t be a cop today, and maybe I wouldn’t get to save your life.”

Jason takes a half-step towards Blair. “My family isn’t going to forgive me for what I did.”

“They might not,” Blair replies honestly. “But you’ll never know unless you’re alive to find out.”

Jim is now within reach, but Blair gives a quick shake of his head. Jim is close enough to keep Jason from jumping, but Blair thinks it will be better if Jason makes the choice not to jump for himself.

Jason takes another step towards Blair. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Let us help you,” Blair replies. “But you deserve more than to just have your life end tonight, Jason. You deserve to have a second chance.”

Jason takes two stumbling steps away from the edge, and Jim gets behind him, to prevent any last-minute changes of mind.

Blair closes the distance between them and pulls Jason into a hug. “Hey, it’s going to be okay,” Blair says quietly, feeling Jason’s quaking shoulders.

He only hopes it’s as reassuring as when Jim has said it to him in the past.

~~~~~

Jim is grateful for Blair’s gift of gab when the kid takes a couple of steps away from the edge, and Jim feels bad for him. He’d clearly been working up his nerve to jump, and he’s young—only fourteen—and clearly operating under a lot of strain.

Blair pulls the kid in for a hug, and the kid just starts sobbing. Blair looks at Jim helplessly, and he shrugs. Blair seems to be doing well enough.

Jason cries like his heart is broken, and Blair just hangs on, running a hand through Jason’s hair and just offering comfort. Once Jason has calmed down a bit, they lead him out, using the nurse’s pass that she’d given Blair.

The whole thing hadn’t taken long enough for fire and rescue to respond, so Jim calls in and cancels it.

They take the kid to the station for booking, and they read him his rights, but they also call Councilman Rivers. “Is he okay?” are the first words out of Rivers’ mouth.

“He’s currently being checked out,” Jim assures him. “They want to keep him overnight, and he’s on suicide watch right now, but he’s in one piece.”

“Jenny told me everything,” Rivers says grimly. “I’ll be there in the morning to see him. I’m assuming they aren’t going to allow him visitors tonight?”

“That’s correct, Councilman,” Jim replies. “Visiting hours start at 8 am tomorrow.”

“I’ll be there,” Rivers says. “Thank you for bringing him in safely.”

Jim doesn’t know what he expected from the councilman, but it isn’t this. “I’m just glad we could.”

He half-expects a threat about not talking to the press, but there isn’t even that much.

“What did he say?” Blair asks when Jim hangs up. “Because you have a weird look on your face.”

Jim shakes his head. “He said he’d be by to visit Jason first thing in the morning and thanked us for bringing him in safely.”

“That’s it?” Blair asks. “Man, I thought for sure…”

“What are you two still doing here?” Simon asks, looming over their desks. “Go home. Get some sleep. Don’t bother coming in before noon tomorrow.”

And, almost as an afterthought, he adds, “Good job. It would have been a lot worse if you hadn’t found the kid in time.”

“I guess people can surprise you,” Jim comments. “Let’s head home.”

Jim drives them home, and wearily unlocks the door to the loft. He feels exhaustion pulling at him, but he wants to make one thing clear. “You know what happened with the dissertation wasn’t your fault, right?”

Blair glances at him. “What are you talking about?”

“What you said to Jason tonight about losing everything,” Jim says.

Blair suddenly grins. “Jim, man, I had to tell him something to get him to move away from the ledge. I’m not saying I lied, but that was only half of the story.”

“What’s the other half?” Jim asks, curiously.

“It’s _us_ ,” Blair replies. “We saved a life today. I might have lost a lot, but I got it all back and then some.”

Jim reaches for him, pulling him close, and leaning down to kiss him. He’s immediately welcomed, and Jim sometimes can’t quite believe that he gets to have this—have Blair.

Because Blair is right: whatever they’ve lost, they gained it all back, and then some.

“Let’s go to bed,” Jim murmurs. “I feel like I could sleep for a week.”

Blair’s grin softens into something warm and glowing. “That’s an invitation that I can’t pass up.”

And Jim thinks that the ghosts of their pasts may finally have been exorcised.


End file.
